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Sydney shopping

Fashion-forward Sydneysiders waited a long time to get their at-home fix of international luxury labels, but these days there's all the Gucci, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton a status-seeking girl could desire. Still, that's not what most international visitors come here for (after all, they can get better bargains in nearby Asia). The smartest buys here are on homegrown designers such as Sass & Bide, Ksubi, Josh Goot, Collette Dinnigan, and Scanlan & Theodore. In addition, two affordable local chains, Cue and Witchery, do excellent plucked-from-the-runway "interpretations" of the season's trends. The best clothes shopping is in Paddington, on streets that run off the main drag, Oxford Street. The finest antiques stores tend to be clustered on Queen Street in Woollahra, a leafy suburb at the far eastern end of Oxford. Weekend markets are a great way to check out what the next generation of Aussie talent is up to: Many of the country's biggest success stories got their start at Paddington and Bondi's small stalls. On Thursdays, most Sydney stores stay open until at least 9 pm.